Biological samples are primarily taken into evacuated glass or plastic tubes, such as Vacutainer.TM.tubes (Becton Dickinson) from a subject. Normally, a double ended needle is first inserted into a subject's vein, and the other end of the needle is used to puncture a septum in an adjoining evacuated tube. Alternatively, two needles may be connected by a tube. In such an arrangement, a first needle may be inserted into a vein, while a second needle goes through a septum of a sample collection tube. The blood sample so obtained must be transferred to various analyzers from this tube. This represents additional work, may lead to contamination or mixup of the samples, and may present health hazards for laboratory staff. It is preferable to take biological samples from a subject directly into vessels that may be incorporated directly into analyzers.
There is a trend in the art to use analyzers that can perform multiple assays from a very small biological sample. An analyzer disk such as a Bio-Compact Disk.TM. (Burstein Laboratories, Inc.) provides the capacity for hundreds or even thousands of DNA tests, immunoassays and other clinical tests to be conducted simultaneously using a small sample volume. Such devices make it feasible to simultaneously perform multiple analyses of biological samples from a single small sample. Thus, it is important to improve the collection of biological samples and the transfer of the same into suitable containers for rapid and efficient sample analysis.
Some have recognized such a need especially in view of the significant health hazards involved with obtaining biological samples. Automatic skin pricking lancet devices have been developed to replace traditional needles. Usually these lancet devices have an extractable spring loaded blade or dart for pricking the patient's skin upon pressing a button, lever mechanism or switch. The blade then automatically retracts back into the device housing thereby preventing the individual obtaining the biological sample from the subject from being pricked by the blade. A sample of blood is normally then extracted from the subject using a pipette to extract the blood sample by capillary action. Alternatively, the subject may drop a sample into a collection container after being pricked. Examples of such pricking devices may be found in Biro et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,730.
Moisson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,196 discloses an auto-pricking device integral with an assembly for testing blood samples to evaluate the presence and concentrations of particular substances. After the patient's finger is pricked with this device, the patient deposits a drop of blood onto a strip with a reactive agent. The blood is then automatically tested by means of a reflectometer integral with the assembly. This device lacks a means to transfer blood to a more sophisticated analyzer for additional testing.
Mawhirt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,006 disclose a blood sampling apparatus for collecting and storing a blood sample from a patient for subsequent transfer to an external blood receiving means. Such a blood sampling apparatus for collecting and transferring blood is not specifically adapted for using with a disk suitable for engagement with a centrifugal analyzer such as a CD or DVD player. Moreover, it is not adapted to be used in conjunction with an applicator for easy blood collection.